Uzbekistan’s € 100 million ski resort project may be in trouble

Uzbek governments plans to open a multi-million-Euro ski resort may be in trouble as the country’s infrastructure poses problems for organizers, despite the ski season being about to start, Telegraph writes.

Amirsoy Mountain Resort, which advertises itself as a world-class all-season mountain resort on its website, was due to open the first gondola, chairlift and drag lift, as well as accommodation, later this month. However, building a resort set to span 900 hectares (approximately 9 square kilometers) in a mountain range with very little other infrastructure has proven difficult.

According to some officials, a lack of electricity and roads in the area has put the brakes on the project. Uzbekistan 24 TV reported that the only road to the resort ‘turns to slush’ when it rains. A new road was commissioned by the government but only one third of the work has been completed.

Shukhrat Dauletov, the head of the State Committee in charge of the work, said the delay was caused by geological studies being carried out at the same time. The studies discovered weak soil in several places, which could lead to landslides.

The resort is set to have seven cable cars, but the lack of electricity in the area has caused problems for the operation - 31 new utility poles have had to be installed. New companies have also been brought in to finish the roadwork, to try and ensure the project, which is being seen as a major representation of the country’s tourist facilities, opens on time. The planned open date is reportedly December 15, 2018, just seven days away.

The new resort is being built in the mountains of Uzbekistan’s Bostanlik district, to the east of the capital city Tashkent, and close to the border with Kazakhstan to the north and Kyrgyzstan to the east. The total costs of the development is estimated to be more than €100 million.

Work on the resort began last year, with the full project due to be finished by 2022, after which there will be chalets, hotels, restaurants, bars, equipment rental shops, a spa and concert area. A total of 28 pistes are planned, covering 21km, along with a terrain park, tobogganing, tubing and a night skiing operation.

In October, Andorra-based PGI Management signed a contract to manage the resort. Since then, the company has recruited an international team of managers to work on it, bringing with them experience from other established ski areas.

Despite no formal confirmation of the opening on December 15, almost all the social media accounts for the resort are full of updates from the site, including pictures of new lift stations, snowmaking machines and hotels. If the regular updates are to be believed, work is very much in full swing.

PGI has a reputation as one of the world’s largest ski resort consultancy firms, working on everything from design and construction to operation and growth, and has worked on other projects including the Grandvalira ski area in Andorra. Amirsoy is also set to receive the world-class treatment with snowmaking systems from TechnoAlpin, the Italian company behind The Snowfactory. Its technology has been harnessed by resorts in Europe to make snow regardless of air temperature - it can operate at up to 32°C - and has also brought a new lease of life to Scottish ski resorts.